Skills of Effecive Weight Management
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HealtH SkillS 10-1 Skills of Effecive Weight Management Super Diet! Diet Power! So easy, they call it a miracle diet! Lose weight fast, effortlessly! Take off excess weight permanently...in your sleep! Hollywood stars reveal their diet secrets! These are but a few of the magazine headlines promising quick, easy, permanent weight loss. There are literally thousands of approaches to helping people lose weight, everything from low-carb, high-protein diets to diets named after trendy locales, such as the South Beach Diet. Think critically about diet ads and don’t be misled by outrageous claims (see the table below). Weighing the Evidence in Diet Ads Flip through a magazine, scan a newspaper, or channel surf and you see them everywhere: ads that promise quick and easy weight loss without diet or exercise. Wouldn’t it be nice if—as the ads claim—you could lose weight simply by taking a pill, wearing a patch, or rubbing in a cream? Too bad claims like that are almost always false. Doctors, dieticians, and other experts agree that the best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories and increase your physical activity so you burn more energy. A reasonable goal is to lose about one pound per week. For most people, that means cutting about 500 calories per day from your diet, eating a variety of nutritious foods, and exercising regularly. When it comes to evaluating claims for weight-loss products, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends a healthy portion of skepticism. Before you spend money on products that promise fast and easy results, weigh the claims carefully. Think twice before wasting your money on products that make any of these false claims: “Lose weight without diet or exercise!” Achieving a healthy weight takes work. Take a pass on any product that promises miraculous results without the effort. Buy one and the only thing you’ll lose is money. “Lose weight no matter how much you eat of your favorite foods!” Beware of any product that claims you can eat all you want of high-calorie foods and still lose weight. Losing weight requires sensible food choices. Filling up on healthy vegetables and fruits can make it easier to say no to fattening sweets and snacks. “Lose weight permanently! Never diet again!” Even if you’re successful in taking off the weight, permanent weight loss requires permanent lifestyle changes. Don’t trust any product that promises once-and-for-all results without ongoing All Rights Reserved. © 2013 by Cengage Learning Inc. maintenance. “Block the absorption of fat, carbs, or calories!” Doctors, dieticians, and other experts agree that there’s simply no magic nonprescription pill that will allow you to block the absorption of fat, carbs, or calories. The key to curbing your craving for downfall foods is portion control. Limit yourself to a smaller serving or a slimmer slice. “Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!” Losing weight at the rate of one or two pounds per week is the most effective way to take it off and keep it off. At best, products promising lightning-fast weight loss are false. At worst, they can ruin your health. “Everybody will lose weight!” Your habits and health concerns are unique. There is simply no one-size-fits-all product guaranteed to work for everyone. Team up with your health care provider to design a personalized nutrition and exercise program suited to your lifestyle and metabolism. continued HealtH SkillS 10-1, continued “Lose weight with our miracle diet patch or cream!” You’ve seen the ads for diet patches or creams that claim to melt away the pounds. Don’t believe them. There’s nothing you can wear or apply to your skin that will cause you to lose weight. Source: Federal Trade Commission. (2004). Facts for consumers: Weighing the evidence in diet ads. Retrieved from http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/health /hea03.shtm. Why Quickie Diets Don’t Work Quickie diets are no magic bullets for permanent weight control. In a nutshell, they fail to help people make lasting changes in eating and exercise habits. You may lose weight at first with a diet that places strict limits on calories or types of foods you can eat. But these diets are hard to follow and people quickly grow tired of the restricted food choices. They soon begin regaining any weight they lost. Despite promises of easy and lasting weight loss from many popular diets, the traditional advice remains the best: to lose weight effectively and keep it off, you need to reduce the number of calories consumed in your daily diet and increase your activity level. When it comes to weight-loss diets, it’s calories that count, not the particular type of diet you follow. The key factor to long-term success is sticking to a sensible calorie-cutting dietary plan. Leading health organizations, including the American Heart Association, specifically recommend against high-protein, low-carb diets such as the Atkins diet.1 The lack of nutritional balance and emphasis on high-fat sources of protein (that is, meat, eggs and cheese) in popular high-protein diet plans can lead to serious health problems, including cardiovascular disease. These diets simply rely too much on eating foods rich in fat and cholesterol. Some of these diets also limit important carbohydrates found in foods such as grains, fruits, and vegetables. Despite the popularity of high- protein, low-carb diets, there is still no conclusive evidence that they are both safe and effective in the long term. What the Scientific Evidence Teaches about Popular Diets Scientists have begun putting popular diets to the test. In one research study, investigators found that while a high-protein, low-carb diet produced more immediate weight loss on average than a conventional low-calorie, low-fat diet, these differences washed out within the first year.2 Another recent study directly compared four popular diet plans: Weight Watchers (emphasis on cutting calories), Atkins (high in protein and fats, low in carbs), Zone (fairly high in protein, moderate carbs and fats), and Ornish (very low in fat, high in complex carbs).3 The results showed no significant differences in weight loss at the one-year mark between the four diets. Not surprisingly, people who followed their particular diet plan more closely tended to lose more weight. Dropout rates were also high across the board, but especially so for the Atkins and Ornish diets (50%). © 2013 by Cengage Learning Inc. All Rights Reserved. © 2013 by Cengage Learning Inc. Clearly, people are more successful with any diet or weight management program if they stick with it. Ultimately, successful weight management involves adoption of healthful diet and exercise habits that become part of the person’s lifestyle. Weight management is a lifelong challenge. The truth is not popular. It’s not what people seeking miracles want to hear, but it’s a message that resonates with millions of people who have succeeded in controlling their weight effectively. The following section is designed to help people who decide to undertake that challenge now. How to Shed Extra Pounds and Keep Them Off Set Realistic Goals Establish a reasonable, attainable weight goal for yourself. Use the BMI chart on page 206 as a guide, shooting for a BMI in the low 20s. Consider your body shape, family history, and age. Don’t expect to fit into your high school prom suit or dress at the age of 40. Plan to Lose Weight Gradually Plan to lose weight gradually. Aim to lose from half a pound to about two pounds per week through cutting back on calories, eating nutritious foods, and increasing your activity level. It probably took continued HealtH SkillS 10-1, continued years to put on your excess weight. Allow yourself some time to take it off. The slower you take it off, the more likely you are to keep it off. Remember, gradually on, gradually off. Access College, Community, and Online Resources Your college health or counseling service may provide health-related information you can use to develop a weight management plan that fits your needs. Many colleges and community organizations sponsor weight management programs, usually at little or modest cost. You may also help a friend in need gain access to weight management programs on campus or in your community. A wealth of weight management and nutritional information is also available online, through such resources as the Weight-Control Information Network sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, which can be accessed at http://win .niddk.nih.gov/index.htm. Generally speaking, it’s also a good idea to talk things over with a health professional before making any substantial changes in your diet or exercise routine. You may have health concerns that should be taken into account when making these changes. Plan a Diet You Can Live With To lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than you burn to meet your body’s need for energy, increase your energy output, or both. Cutting calories is one way to tip the scale in your favor, but don’t sacrifice nutrition for the sake of calories. Nor should you megadose on vitamins and minerals to make up for skipping meals. Megadoses of supplements do not provide the nutritional components found naturally in foods and can be dangerous. Plan a weight management diet that meets your nutritional needs and cuts calories where you can best afford them. For example, cut down on sweets, cut back on snacks, and use fats and oils sparingly.